U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,606 describes a convertible vehicle having a roof structure, the roof structure being pivoted via a positive guidance device, fixedly supported on the bodywork of the vehicle, from a closed position where it rests against a front windscreen frame and covers a passenger compartment region into an open position and towards a tail-end region of the vehicle. The vehicle comprises a trunk lid, said trunk lid being supported by a guide linkage. The roof structure is lowerable into a folding-top compartment located in an upper region of the trunk of the vehicle under said trunk lid. The vehicle also comprises a frame on which said trunk lid is articulated via said guide linkage. The frame is supported by a hydraulic cylinder and a gas spring which are pivoted at a pivot point on the bodywork in a lower vehicle end region. This arrangement enables pivoting of said frame in a longitudinal vertical plane of the vehicle. The trunk lid can be pivoted by a first movement by guidance of the guide linkage from a closed position into a first open position opening the trunk towards the rear to enable loading and unloading said trunk. A forward end of the trunk lid together with a forward end of the frame can be pivoted upwards by a second movement from the closed position into a second open position to expose upwards the folding-top compartment for enabling the roof structure to be lowered into the open position and into the folding-top compartment.
This opening and closing device of the trunk lid requires a relatively large number of parts and is relatively heavy, and the cost associated with fabricating the device increases. Further, the pivot point brackets at the bottom of the trunk, the hydraulic cylinder and the gas spring, and their path during the second movement require much space in the trunk. It is also hard to find a suitable place for the pivot point inside the sealing line of the trunk. Moreover, the pivot point always requires some kind of a bearing which is expensive and a part that wears. With the known arrangements of connecting the frame to the bodywork it is not possible to achieve an optimal path of the frame and the trunk lid during the second movement to the second open position.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,857,686 describes another way of connecting the frame to the bodywork. A four bar non-scissor linkage assembly is attached to the frame and adapted to be attached to the bodywork of the vehicle. Also this arrangement with its many links and bearings is space-requiring, expensive and susceptible to wear.
In light of the foregoing, a need exists for a simple, non-expensive, non-wearing and compact connecting element to connect the frame to the bodywork.